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Friday, June 24, 2016

St. Savvas of Kalymnos on the Calendar Schism

By Maria Bizanis

(a close spiritual child of St. Savvas)

Regarding the Calendar he [St. Savvas] told me one day:

"Maria, I am very much in sorrow that the people here are divided. We must listen to the Church. We should go with the New Calendar. Moreover, it is not important, as it does not involve dogmatic issues, but 13 days. Let us be obedient. Division is the worst of all. Yes, division. The abbess behind us is with the Old Calendar (he meant the Monastery of Saint Katherine). Do you want to follow me there, Maria?"

I said: "Elder, I am a woman of the world, so it's none of my business."

"Well, there will be three of us, the abbess will come."

I said: "Listen to me Elder. Do not go there. You will become embittered."

"No," he said, "I will go to speak with her courteously. I will not impose myself on her. I will speak to her so this division does not take place. To come to an agreement. Together."

I said: "I'm not coming, my Elder. This is the first time I will disobey you."

"Very well, very well, don't come."

He went with Abbess Thekla [of the Monastery of All Saints]. They went and returned. He was sorrowful, very sorrowful. It seems like he was very upset. He wept. I said: "Elder, did you go?"

"Yes, yes, I went for a bit. Well, they didn't behave well with me."

The elder had a point, the abbess had a point: God knows.

From the book Ο Άγιος Σάββας ο νέος ο εν Καλύμνω by Βασιλείου Χρ. Παπανικολάου. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.